Leslie Clark Art Prints

Artist Leslie Clark travels widely and paints constantly, searching for new perspective and old wisdom. Lured by exotic cultures around the globe, she paints with the urgency of knowing they may soon be transformed by the intrusion of the modern world. Her subjects are alive and moving -- a Tuareg nomad astride his camel in the Sahara, a Bushman in a healing trance dance in the Kalahari, a Bhils tribal girl at a colorful marriage festival in India. As Clark travels, watercolors and sketches are done on site providing inspiration for the works she creates back home in her studio. She uses various media--oil, watercolor, collage, acrylic, graphite, pastel, gold leaf, stenciling--whatever she feels will best convey the spirit of her subject. The painterly realism is evident in the drips and splashes on every canvas. A fourth-generation Californian, she has always loved freedom and is driven by a sense of adventure. In her 30s, Clark returned to school and obtained a Master of Fine Arts degree from George Washington University. A twelve-month sojourn in the south of France, frequenting the cafes, beaches and hill villages of the Mediterranean, provided the inspiration for her first show -- in Monte Carlo. Since then, travel has been the inspiration for all her work. On a sailing trip near Greece someone invited her to Africa and she never completely returned. Since that first trip she has spent half of each year from one end of the continent to the other, dodging tribal wars and political unrest; looking for nomads and painting. The success of her works on display worldwide and the desire to share her passion for these intriguing cultures is the impetus for opening her own gallery in Ojai, California, where her own paintings are shown alongside traditional arts of Africa. The cultures she has visited have so enriched her life, she hopes to repay some of this gift through the Nomad Foundation, a non profit organization dedicated to the preservation of cultural and artistic traditions in Africa. Clark is not an impartial observer. She does not visit exotic cultures to document patterns of behavior or dress, but to make a human connection and interpret this in paint. "I want to experience a little of what they feel, the love of their environment and pride in their way of life. I have come to realize that, although I was initally drawn to them by our vast differences, I continue to be drawn to them because we are very much alike."